After worrying so much and rushing over, how should one deal with someone who only talks nonsense?
Usher fell into such a dilemma while looking at Bersia, oddly enough.
Of course, he knew that the curse of longing was affecting her words and actions.
Still, couldn’t he be a little more patient?
When he narrowed his eyes, Bersia avoided his gaze.
“Could you not look at me? My lower body is damp, it’s uncomfortable…”
“Ah, come on….”
“No, it’s serious.”
Is that so? Certainly, her thoughts seemed to be drifting toward something sexual, but I would argue that it wasn’t to the extent of someone like Bersia, twisting her body like that. At least, that’s how it appeared from Usher’s perspective, someone who had endured the curse in their own body for a much longer time.
“Endure it. The more you endure, the more tolerable it becomes.”
“It’s not easy.”
“You lack willpower.”
He spoke firmly.
Then, taking a deep breath, he looked ahead.
She was like the witch of an archipelago. The true witch was tearing the space behind her, casting fragments of Ashanta’s power into the current world.
Her expression immediately turned serious.
‘I feel like divine power is being suppressed.’
The moment her gaze reached beyond the space, Usher’s whole body felt frozen.
Even if she was an infidel’s god, a god is a god, and it seemed there was some level of interference with the divine power of the main god.
Still, there was one part that he considered fortunate, despite the situation.
‘The level of divine power restriction is manageable.’
He tightened his grip on his sword. Now that he had returned to his original body, he could close the distance and cut through the enemy with brute force. Moreover, it wasn’t strictly forbidden.
When he moved, the divine power responded, albeit slightly. That was thanks to Usher’s exceptional ability to control divine power.
“Saint, can I assist you?”
“Hah, sigh….”
For some reason, Bersia, breathing heavily, released divine power. Fast, sharp, and strong. A basic supporting prayer. Usher covered it with his own divine power to make up for the lack of output.
Immediately after, the water source emerged. The witch, who had shown discomfort at his arrival, showed a gap in that moment.
As the level of expertise increased, even a second of hesitation became a massive mistake.
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Tehra. Usher’s sword shot forward like a beam of light.
However, the enemy didn’t easily succumb.
Zzzeeeerng!
“Kh…!”
“…You’re insufferable. You.”
The sword was blocked in midair. Usher’s eyes widened in surprise.
Blood tears flowed from Tehra’s eyes. She was clearly pushing her divine power to the point of physical strain, yet her divine power remained shockingly strong.
“Surprised?”
A chill ran down Usher’s spine. His actions were quick. Perception and judgment accelerated, splitting the moment into dozens, even hundreds of scenes. He found the most ideal route and moved his body, extending his sword.
Tskwaa—!!
The sharp sword strike pierced through the weak spot. His body, accelerated to the point of blurring, released heat and murderous intent.
Though the strike was just physical power, when sharpened to extremes, it defied common sense.
Even with his divine power suppressed, he could still coat the sword with divine energy.
Jjaeng!
A crack appeared in the barrier. The thorns shot from the bush were deflected, hitting the barrier.
Once he understood the method of breaking the defense, Usher’s movements changed suddenly.
Zzzeeeeerng!
He struck the cracked barrier, guiding the thorns. The shockwave sent a red pulse across the entire space, beyond just the two of them.
“Ferocious, persistent. I admit it.”
Boom! With a roar, red veins appeared on Tehra’s pale skin.
The whites of her eyes disappeared. A monstrous power surged forth.
In that instant, Bersia’s power was unleashed.
Kwaaa—!!
Hundreds of beams of light intercepted Tehra. Usher hid behind those beams, looking for an opening.
The battle had shifted. It was now in their favor. However, Tehra’s unsettling appearance only heightened his wariness.
It was the moment when caution rose to the very tip of his mind.
“You should’ve come a little later.”
Blood dripped from Tehra’s mouth.
She smiled eerily.
“I could’ve shown you something fun.”
She licked the blood from her lips, as if disappointed.
Usher braced for defense. His instincts ordered him to.
However, no attack came.
[-
The blood-stained lips contained an incomprehensible language.
Though he heard it, he couldn’t grasp the pronunciation or meaning of the words.
It sounded like the utterance of something non-human.
Then, crack—
“Guess this is it for today. It’s broken.”
Tehra’s neck snapped.
Kugugugugu—
Tehra’s body began to collapse.
Something from her was sucked into the space beyond, to Ashanta.
He realized too late that she was escaping.
‘Is her body even fake?’
…No, that’s not it. It was real, but it seemed to have been ‘made fake’ through some sort of trick.
Impatient, Usher threw his sword, embedding it.
Crack! He felt the sword penetrate somewhere beyond the space.
However, there was only a small vibration, and no further response.
[We’ll meet again. If that child can hold on until then.]
Meaningful words followed. In that moment, Ashanta’s eyes curved, looking at Bersia.
He hadn’t even had time to process the meaning before.
Boom!
The fissure in space closed, like a beast’s jaws snapping shut. Then, silence. All that remained was Usher’s heavy breathing and the sound of collapsed buildings rolling.
‘What’s going on?’
He was confused. Since he’d arrived halfway, it was hard to fully understand the situation.
Yet, amidst the confusion, something became clear. The techniques Tehra had used.
They were definitely…
…Ancient prayers.’
Though it was uncertain, given it was only recorded, the bush and barrier resembled combat prayers from the church’s ancient texts.
If that was true, the situation had just become more serious.
Would Bersia know the answer? Thinking so, Usher turned to her.
“…Ah, Saint!”
Usher rushed to her, astonished.
Bersia couldn’t even manage to lift herself up, wobbling.
As Usher approached, Bersia looked surprised and shook her head.
But Usher was quicker.
“Wait….”
“Are you alright?!”
He grabbed her shoulder with a snap.
They were now close, their breaths even closer.
What happened next was visible only to Usher’s eyes.
“…!”
A sharp groan escaped. Bersia’s head jerked back.
Her body twitched violently, and Usher felt her convulse through the arm he held onto.
Usher’s expression twisted.
It was more of a frown.
“…?”
Bersia’s eyes went blank.
A drop of saliva slipped from the corner of her mouth.
The convulsions hadn’t stopped yet.
‘What is this?’
Usher was confused, unable to accept what had happened.
He had an inkling, but it was almost something he couldn’t admit.
“…Saint.”
He called in a calm voice. Bersia trembled.
“…Wait. Don’t speak.”
Her voice was lazy and trembling.
A sense of rejection rose within him, and just as Usher was about to slowly pull his hand away,
Thud!
“Ugh?!”
“Why are you letting go?”
With a deep breath, Bersia lowered her head.
She took a deep breath and slowly raised her head.
Her eyes appeared through the strands of her hair. She looked almost out of her mind.
Usher felt scared. It felt like something that shouldn’t have happened had just occurred.
Had the curse finally manifested?
No, she seemed too composed for it to be the curse.
“I can’t do this. Let’s just do it once.”
Isn’t that…?
Cold sweat ran down his back.
His heart started pounding.
He had to knock her out immediately…
“Ahh! Wait! Why are you taking off your clothes?!”
“You already know. Don’t ask. It’s annoying.”
Usher panicked and grabbed Bersia’s clothes. Bersia gave him a harsh look and seemed to eye him in a way that felt dangerous.
No. If she kept undressing like this, she might assault him, not with her eyes, but with her body.
At that moment, Usher felt a danger like never before and desperately locked her in an arm lock.
“Ah, stop!”
Her resistance was strong. Was it a problem that she had built muscle with that body?
Kiiying!
No, she was using divine power!
“Put the halo away!”
“Just once.”
Her pleading voice, without any change in tone, made Usher feel fear.
But there was something even more frightening.
“The curse isn’t finished yet!”
Her upper body, half undressed, revealed that the lower part of her clothing was barely hanging over her shoulder blades.
It didn’t look much different from before her body had changed. It was just a little bigger.
“Endure! You have to endure!”
Her eyes grew more fierce, as if she had no intention of stopping.
A sense of injustice surged within him. At the same time, he realized something.
‘This person…!’
She had no patience…
Not even the slightest amount?
In his confusion, all his strength drained away.
It was a mistake.
Bang!
Bersia used divine power to press Usher’s body down. It felt like a divine power of divine favoritism, an overwhelming mass. Usher couldn’t move even a finger.
The halo spun around, signaling that she was about to make her move.
Thud! Bersia climbed on top of Usher, holding both of his wrists and pinning them above his head.
Her clothes were half-falling off, her crooked smile looking down at him.
Usher felt his body trembling.
“Now, you’ve finally quieted down.”
Forced into submission, Usher’s eyes began to moisten at her whisper.
And that was when it happened.
Kwaa-aa-aa-aaang—!
“Bersia! Usher! Are you alright?!”
Was the outside situation over? Halia broke through the wall and appeared.
Seeing Usher and Bersia, she froze.
A moment of silence passed.
Halia then looked behind her. Then she looked back at the two.
With an awkward expression, Halia scratched the back of her head, then began picking up the debris from the broken wall to rebuild the spot.
“Uh, sorry. I’ll be back in a bit…”
“Please save me!!!”
Usher pleaded desperately.